


simple enough to replicate

by fatalsam (bitehard)



Series: simple behaviours [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: CT-7567 | Rex Needs a Hug, Human Disaster Anakin Skywalker, M/M, Power Imbalance, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:55:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27954989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bitehard/pseuds/fatalsam
Summary: The general needs, Rex provides.
Relationships: CT-7567 | Rex/Anakin Skywalker
Series: simple behaviours [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2114187
Comments: 8
Kudos: 63





	simple enough to replicate

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to [earwen_neruda](https://archiveofourown.org/users/earwen_neruda/) who beta'ed this making it readable and for all the encouragement. <3
> 
> I humbly present to you my first Rex/Anakin "boundaries, what are those?" Skywalker. Hopefully won't be the last.

It’s hard to feel the time passing when there is little to no light out there. Rex is fairly sure it’s already nightime. He is having a hard time trying to keep track and, because of the storm, their devices are not as accurate as they should be and since the sky was covered by clouds the light hasn’t been so reliable.

The mission had gone well almost from start to finish, which Rex would’ve marked as a first. He still hopes that one, just one, will go as planned. 

Well. Not today. 

It should have been easy, and it _had_ been until some droid had the brilliant idea of throwing a grenade in a cave. That, too, could have been easy to solve, because he was accompanied by the general, who shielded them both from the falling rocks. But then, just as they had found the exit to the cave, the storm came. 

Apparently the rain is corrosive on this planet. Go figure. 

General Kenobi has sent a message and it should be just some hours until it passes, so they only have to stay put and wait.

He is used to waiting, so he waits. He sits, checks his gun, tries not to step on any puddle (they are _not_ corrosive, but Rex doesn’t want to risk a pneumonia because of a bad night’s sleep) when he stands to stretch. Takes out the hard part of the uniform and leaves it in a dry spot over them and tries to massage his own shoulder. Sometimes, when the weather is so damp, he can feel his old scars and broken bones. 

The general is not so good at waiting, so it’s easier said than done. He paces, steps on a puddle, curses, he sits down. He paces a little more, mutters under his breath. He then sits down (again) and checks his saber, illuminating his face in the sort of room they had been able to accomodate on a turning of the cave. The small fire they have been able to make won’t be enough but at least it will give them some light until they go to sleep. 

The general hasn’t been sleeping well lately. If someone would ask Rex, he would probably shrug and say that he just knows. The thing is, everyone has tells and Rex prides himself in knowing his general’s. He frowns more, for starters, when he doesn’t sleep. His hands are closed into a fist and his patience is reduced even more. He tends to tighten his jaw and then, when he thinks no one is looking, makes a pained expression as he unlocks it.

Rex is always watching. 

The general doesn’t say much, which is the first sign that things aren’t going well. General Kenobi must’ve sensed it too because he has said something about meditating, with the Jedi Master voice Rex doesn’t almost hear anymore. “Yeah”, the general has said, with the humble Jedi Apprentice voice Rex hears, but doesn’t _believe_ anymore, “I’ll try. That’s a good idea. Thanks”.

The hologram disappears and, with it, the submissive expression in the general’s face. Rex almost smiles; the general smiles back, anyway, as if he could read his face as well.

“Have you ever meditated, Rex?”

He snorts. “Can’t say that I have, sir. Is it as useful as general Kenobi seems to find it?”

The general rolls his eyes, doesn’t answer. Rex can almost feel the restlessness emanating from him; he ponders for a while but resolves to wait until it passes; it’s better not to talk to him when he is like this. 

  
  


“General.” Rex says, and almost startles him, which says a lot more about his state than about Rex’s own stealth abilities. 

When he raises his brows in favor of a question, Rex shows the food in his hand in lieu of an answer. 

“I’m not hungry”. 

Rex sighs internally and just holds the bar until he finally takes it and eats begrudgingly. Rex takes his and sits at his side and they finish them in silence. Theirs are usually easy, comfortable, but tonight the general is not himself, and Rex doesn’t know exactly how to solve it. The dim light in the improvised room doesn’t help with the feeling that they are locked in for the next hours.

“I officially hate this planet”, the general says, and, “Force, do I hate this humidity.” 

He can feel the rumbling of thunder, faint electricity running through the floor. 

“We should sleep”, Rex says, and the answer is something muttered under his breath. “Yeah, not sleepy either, but what else is there to do?”

It’s an innocent question, a rhetoric one, but just when it leaves his mouth, he regrets it. Even under the weak light of the fire Rex can see his eyes darken. Seconds pass as the silence stretches and Rex feels his own heart speeding up, just a little. 

Finally, _finally_ , the general talks.

“Yeah”, he says, licking his lips. “What else.”

Rex doesn’t know what could he say to that, so he keeps quiet. They climb into the only place that could pass as a bed, and lay down one beside the other and Rex tries as hard as he can to sleep and not to think about Anakin’s mouth, the pink of his tongue darting out to wet his lips.

Yeah. What else, indeed.

  
  


When he wakes up, the storm is still raging, the fire is almost gone, and the general is not asleep. Rex already knows what is going to happen. What he is going to do. 

It’s been so many nights like this, and Rex doesn’t even remember why he did what he did that first time, so long ago in this unending war, but by now he can guess when the general wants this. Wants him. This is no different from any other need that the general has and Rex tries to anticipate, isn’t it? 

Rex doesn’t know the answer, not really, but, anyway, he moves his hand slowly until he reaches the general’s thigh. Part of his robes are what they are using as bedding so he can feel the warmth of his skin under the single fabric and has to force himself to wait until permission comes. Sometimes there is hesitation. Sometimes there is rejection. Sometimes there is relief. Rex just waits. 

Under his fingers, the general relaxes. He sighs and moves slightly and Rex goes to take what he shouldn’t really allow himself to want. 

Not a word is spoken. It never is. The silence, though, is louder than words. Rex just creeps his hand up until he reaches his waist; he can feel the muscles tensing. Rex thinks that may mean anticipation, but it could be anything, as far as he knows. He could be rejected still, and they wouldn’t talk about it because what would there be to talk about. 

The general needs, Rex provides.

It’s that simple.

He isn’t rejected. His hand goes straight under his clothes and takes him with his fingers, tentatively at the beginning. The first times were different, and that Rex can remember. They were mechanical, effective. Militar. It’s not like he indulges in foreplay now, but he lets himself wander a little more, trial and error just trying to get some more sounds from him, like the way his breath stutters when he finally takes him in his hand and squeezes. He is already hard by then, but Rex ignores the nagging thought that tries to guess when he has started to be, if he was waiting for Rex to wake up to tend to his need. If it was the general who woke him, without Rex noticing. Wouldn’t be the first time, either.

He can’t think of him as general when he’s like this. Not out of disrespect, because this changes nothing, it’s just… It’s everything. The only light comes from the embers and it shouldn’t be enough and yet it is for him and Rex watches, hungrily, how his mouth opens when he changes the rhythm and his hand twists as he goes up and down. Someone like him is not allowed to know that, to know exactly the subtle change in Anakin’s legs as they open just the minimum so that Rex can slip his precum-wet fingers down, very slow, and caress the rim. He could just dismiss it as he did when it started: the general needed something he couldn’t ask for and Rex was there, available and willing to help. That’s a lie, now, this moment he doesn’t just know it, he _enjoys_ it, and that’s another matter altogether. 

_Anakin_ , he thinks, and something climbs and digs a hole in his stomach, something unnamed, forbidden, for the Jedi and for anyone but _specially_ for Rex. He is a soldier, he shouldn’t even be thinking about it.

And yet.

He teases him to make him twitch but he is the one that ends up panting and has to bite his lip because, in the silence, everything sounds as loud as a scream. Anakin lets out a sound too close to a moan for comfort, Rex tries not to think about how it would feel to enter that warm, wet, _wanting_ hole. He tries, and fails.

The desire overflows him for a minute, there, and he can’t see anything, can’t remember all the reasons this is wrong. He knows the exact second Anakin feels it, feels his _need need need_ , and _knows_ and Rex _knows too_ but he shouldn’t and he tries to backpedal on his own thoughts because that’s not something he should pursue, not now, not _ever_. 

Anakin is silent and Rex’s hand retreats and climbs back to circle his shaft, letting Anakin go back to fucking his fist, both ignoring Rex’s thoughts. 

This is good, this is safe: his thumb expanding a little more of the precum leaking from the tip. Rex doesn’t even have to speed up anymore because Anakin is jerking his hips up with abandon, all pretenses forgotten. He knows it’s going to end soon and wants and doesn’t want at the same time. 

Anakin’s hand reaches for his wrist and Rex can’t think anymore over the screams in his head of _I want to taste it_ and _I want to taste you_ and has to bite down and lock his jaw so nothing comes out. His mind may not be stopped but his mouth can, and will.

Rex wants to finish, too, but doesnt even try, doesn’t even hope. It doesn’t matter, anyway, he can’t decide about this more than he could more than he could their strategy on the field. He doesn’t know if the general will acknowledge this tonight (this, Rex’s hand and Rex’s thoughts going where they shouldn’t) for long enough to allow it; not before he is finished, at least. And even that has only happened a handful of times. Secrecy is the priority between them and they both know it. 

That’s not the only reason, anyway, because essentialy this is the general needing and Rex helping. 

Rex can’t forget that.

But.

 _But_ , if the general allows it, if he says _Rex_ , in that raspy voice, Rex could finish himself. No one is going to arrive and surprise them, he could do it; if it’s his rank, _captain_ , or if he just goes back to his side and fakes sleep, Rex would stop, wouldn’t do anything.

It’s _that_ simple. 

Anakin is close, now, and Rex braces himself for the aftermath, whatever it is. He lets Anakin fuck his fists and waits for the second he knows he is coming: body taut and hips raised and a grunt, maybe a moan, if he is lucky. Cum spilling in his closed fist, he tries to get it all in his hand because it’d be much more difficult to ignore in the morning if it was left to dry on the jedi robes. 

The general comes down, little by little, while Rex washes his hand with a little water from his canteen. 

He is still hard as hard as he can be. He is going to _fucking die_ if he doesn’t come and touches himself just a little, just something to ease the need in silence. 

He is used to waiting, so he waits. 

The general takes a breath but Rex has already guessed what is next. There is something like regret coming from his side, and he knows he shouldn’t feel this… pain, this emptiness, but feels it, nevertheless, he hurts, for a second, before he remembers himself.

Anakin keeps quiet, and so does Rex.

*

There is someone at Rex’s back. He usually wakes up in a second, just a minute before the alarm goes off, but he can’t see the time on the clock. He can’t hear any clock, to be fair, and it takes him a minute to be aware of where he is, with whom. Because, again: there is someone at Rex’s back and there is been a while since he has had to share a bunk with one of his brothers. It’s too dark, too humid, too uncomfortable to be _home_. He opens his eyes and analyzes his surroundings and everything comes back. 

There is light entering the cave, and he can’t feel or hear the storm anymore, but he doesn’t want to wake up. 

The general’s breath reaches his nape, again. He does not touch him but just that does something odd to his own breath, and he sighs before he is too aware to care. The general is close, closer than when they went to sleep, just enough so that Rex can feel him but doesn’t dare to turn and look at his face. 

He sighs again and fakes a yawn.

“Good morning, general”, he says, sitting up, without looking at him. He is frustrated, and, worse, close to hard again because his body has not gotten the memo saying that it’s not the fucking time. “It’s morning already. Any news from general Kenobi?”

The general grunts, probably sensing his bad mood. He is being very careful and not letting anything reflect on his face but, well. Jedi powers. 

“Yeah,” the general answers. “He has sent me a message, actually, the rain has stopped, at least. They are coming any minute now to get us”. 

“Right. I’m going to…”, moves his hand and moves through the cave, still not looking back. He is finally able to use a corner as a toilet. When he comes back, the general has already picked up all his robes and seems ready to go. Rex puts his own armor on and gets his gun and helmet. 

“Are you ready, sir?”, he says, and doesn’t know how it sounds because the general has an odd look. 

“Rex,” he says, and Rex has to suppress a flinch because that’s not the voice he is supposed to use with him, “Is everything ok?”

Rex looks at him for a second and analyzes his eyes, his face, the way he cracks a knuckle the way he only does when something is bothering him and seems for a second almost… Almost worried. 

Frustration leaves him as fast as it came and Rex feels his face relax. 

“Of course, sir. It’s just this humidity”, and the general smiles. ”Let’s go, can’t wait to leave this planet and its corrosive rain behind”.

The general nods and they start to go out of the cave, through the rocks. The ship is waiting for them and gets close when they step out, opening the ramp so they can go inside. Then, and it’s so fast that Rex later will think that he has imagined it, the general puts a hand on his lower back, presses, and leaves him behind just as general Kenobi appears. 

“I hope you slept well”, he says, with that cheerful tone he takes when he wants to get a reaction from his apprentice. 

Of course, the general raises to the bait and starts complaining. Rex shakes his head and leaves them be. Behind general Kenobi, though, is, as usual, Cody. His brother looks at him, and there is a conversation, there, one that Rex doesn’t want to have. He holds his look for a second, stubborn.

He still can feel the warm handprint on his back, like it’s burning. 

Cody rolls his eyes, “come on”, he says, grabbing his shoulder. “I actually hope you have slept well because there is a ton of work to do”.

Rex nods, “Can I at least have a shower before?”, but silently thanks Cody for the distraction when he starts debriefing their next move. It feels good to leave the generals’ voices behind and focus on something more productive. 

It feels good going back to work. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> So. Here we are. I didn't specially ship these two and then [jasondont](https://archiveofourown.org/users/minigami/pseuds/jasondont) inceptioned me and now I am in hell. This is my way of saying thanks (writing a fic ith unhealthy people loving other people very much).
> 
> I'm **youbitehard** at tumblr.


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